What Never Was and Never Will Be
by llamawithacoolhat
Summary: In the 2014 apocalypse, no one really ever knows what the next day will bring- even Dean. When Dean never forgave Sam, and Sam said yes to Lucifer, all hell broke loose on Earth. No pairings, only friendship between future Dean and a young girl they called Scout. NEW AND REVIVED VERSION
1. Midnight City

_So here we are, back at the beginning again! I would like to say that I'm sorry for changing the story up on some readers but I hope that you'll like the story as much as you (hopefully) did before when it had OCs. To all of my new readers I would like to say Welcome! Here's a bit of background on the story first:_

_This story is based off of the Supernatural episode "The End" (season 5 episode 5) in which Dean Winchester is sent into the future by Zacariah to see what will happen if he doesn't say "yes" to Michael. The world is dealing with the apocalypse, meaning Lucifer ruling the world in his vessel (Sam) and most of the humans are infected with the Croatoan virus. There are very few safe areas where people aren't infected or threatened by demons, and one of the places we learn about in the episode is Camp Chautauqua, which future Dean Winchester is the leader of a group of hunters there. If you haven't seen the episode I highly recommend you do, it's a great episode and personally is one of my favorites._

_As said in the summary, there will be no pairings in this story BUT there will be a lot of adult language and violence. If you're not into those kind of stories (then I have no idea why you're a fan of Supernatural) then I'm completely cool with that. This is the revised version of my previous story (same name) only I hope to actually keep my and your interest in this._

_Disclaimer: I own only my own characters and ideas so please respect that and I will respect you (don't steal my stuff o.O)_

_I hope to work on the next chapter soon, but until then..._

_Enjoy! _

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Midnight City**

* * *

It was supposed to be a quick in and out- nothing but a restock centered on medical supplies for the base camp. Out of everything they ever needed in the worn out summer camp hidden in the wilderness, band-aids and neosporin would have seemed like twigs compared to the necessity of food and water, but the jack asses who occupied the boy scout camp ran for the medics whenever they tripped and scraped their knee. Dean couldn't remember how many times he'd bashed the jelly-legged doctors' heads in an attempt to make them realize they weren't a fucking CVP pharmacy. Not saying the patients weren't to blame- oh no he'd kicked their asses to, but the disenchanted fallen angel stoner who currently made his living off of the females and any prescription drugs he could get his hands on wasn't helping either.

"Yeager, check out the back." The rugged blonde haired man ordered, pointing his shotgun past the cluttered frozen food aisle.

The hunter nodded and swiftly stomped through aisle four towards the back end of the store where the deli and bakery had once been located. Honestly, it was a surprise that they hadn't met more force on their way into Walmart, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

"And hurry up, I don't feel like dealing with people in the checkout line!" Yeager snorted and threw his middle finger over his shoulder as he reached the end of the row.

Dean smirked, reaching forward to pick up a book on the discount shelf. Within the abandoned store seven of his men were spread out in search of the health section. On such a stupid mission he didn't dare bring more than ten of his own, especially since these places were often swarming with Croats; the poor bastards that had been infected with the Croatoan virus. Most of the men wandering the store were solders he didn't know well, name at most. Chuck never left the camp- or at least he hadn't for the past two months since he'd twisted his ankle in a rabbit hole while carrying a load of toilet paper to his cabin. Cas was probably balls deep in one of his many angelic girlfriends or washing his hands before his next orgy. Seriously, the least the son of a bitch could've done was come with them to get his stupid high pills.

With a sigh, Dean threw the book back on the shelf. Like he needed to know about capitalism or some ridiculous shit like that- the guy who wrote the book was more or less dead now. Whoever the hell Al Gore was. A lot of help that suit will do him now.

"Hey boss, we've got some VitoLax here if you want it for later."

There was a chorus of low chuckles from the heath and beauty aisle and Dean let out a small laugh, even though there was no follow up smile to support his amusement.

"Just get the meds to the truck before someone finds us snooping around." He said before turning to walk to the side of the store where the cash registers were.

It was almost funny how useless money was now; whatever they needed they took, no questions asked. Of course, the stores and gas stations they had been using the past few months had been stripped dry, forcing them to venture out farther in search of supplies. They were probably about an hour or two out from Camp Chautauqua, somewhere in a small town that the military had run through on their way to one of the larger cities to take care of some Croats. They tried to avoid the U.S. national guards whenever they could; a lot of the times the soldiers shot before asking questions. Tapping his finger on his gun in annoyance, Dean stared at the empty alcohol section. Figures that those army dicks had taken all the boos.

Dean was shifting his weight to turn around and walk back to where his men were loading up the medical supplies when a small, high pitched sneeze echoed through the store. He paused, eyes narrowing as he scanned the store. There was no way that sneeze had come from any of his men. Dean tightened his grip on the shot gun and audited the sound in his head to figure out where it had come from. Out of the corner of his eye Dean spotted a sign hanging from the ceiling that pointed towards the bathrooms.

The hunter brought up his gun so the tip rested against his cheek, and stalked towards the dark hallway. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on, using his free hand to hold the light source atop of the shot gun. The store had gone silent, save for the unnecessary commotion his men were making as they hauled the boxes of pills out the door. Dean was fairly certain that the noise had come from this area of the store- the restrooms. The men's restrooms came into view first. Using his foot, Dean gently nudged the door open so he could slip in. The room was pitch black, brown stains and flies everywhere. Other than a rotting, half rat eaten body in the corner by a urinal, the men's restroom was empty and Dean cleared out.

Wrinkling his nose, Dean silently made his way towards the women's restroom at the far end of the hallway. The smell of the rotting body was soon overtaken by the unmistakeable stench of smoke- the kind that was made of plastic labels and sticks from outside of be exact. Someone had to be living over here, or at least hunkering down for the night. Small puffs of gray smoke fell from a torn out ceiling panel near the restroom. Whoever was over here must have just put out a fire.

Dean tightened his grip on the gun and pushed the women's door with his foot, but it wouldn't budge. Thinking that maybe something was blocking the door from the opposite side, he pressed the left side of his body against the door and pushed. The door was locked. Dean placed the flashlight in his mouth and reached into his back pocket for his lock-pick. Once he wrapped his fingers around the smooth metal, Dean tucked his shot gun under his arm and leaned down to the lock.

As soon as the door unlocked with a small 'click', Dean heard the panicked shuffle on the opposite side. He quickly shoved the lock-pick back into his pocket and held up his gun and flashlight again, slamming the door open. There was a high pitched squeak and his light fell upon a small girl who had her body pressed against the farthest wall, shakily holding a hand gun in Dean's general direction.

The gruff man's eyes flickered around the dark bathroom quickly to make sure no one else was waiting to ambush him, before he slowly lowered his gun. The girl couldn't have been more then thirteen or fourteen years old. She was shivering uncontrollably, traces of tears in her terrified hazel eyes. Her wild brown hair was tied back in a loose pony tail, a few strands falling over her dirty face and tattered clothing. Instantly, he knew she wasn't a killer or a Croat.

"Hey, hey, it's alright..." Dean said in his softest voice, something he hadn't used in God knows how long. When the girl didn't lower her gun, Dean slowly placed his in his belt, hoping it would get her to relax. "I'm Dean."

She was silent for a moment, as though considering whether to answer or not.

"I'm Scout." She whispered, lowering her gun slightly. "Are... are you one of them?" Dean tilted his head slightly in confusion, "The sick ones."

"You mean Croats? No." Dean took a step forward and the girl raised the weapon again, a flash of fear in her eyes. Dean stopped and held up his hands. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." She looked like she wanted to trust him, but a flicker of doubt passed over her face. Dean took in a deep breath and stepped back to lean against the wall in a passive manner.

"Do you live here?" He asked casually, attempting to calm her down. She nodded. "Wow, that sucks." The girl let loose a small smile and finally lowered the gun.

"Not much else I can do." Scout said quietly, "Not with all of those sick people wandering around." Dean nodded his head, lips curling up in a smile of his own.

"Well you chose a good spot." He said, "I suppose you just go out and get what you need from the store then run back here to hide out."

"Pretty much." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eye, "They like coming here at night, but leave when it gets light out... Are you a traveler?"

"Sort of." Dean dared to take a few steps forward, "My people have a camp about an hour away from here. We come out to hunt down Croats and get supplies." Scout didn't move from where she was pressed against the wall.

"You mean there's no infection where you live?" The hope in her voice was almost heartbreaking.

"No." Dean said bluntly, "It's still out there, but we keep everyone protected." The girl was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground. "How long have you been here?"

"Two or three months, ever since this whole thing started."

"Dean, we've-

The girl scrambled back, holding the gun towards the door again as one of Dean's men appeared. As soon as the hunter spotted the girl, he whipped out his gun, holding it towards her, but Dean jumped in front of him, grabbing the weapon out of his hand.

"Get the hell back to the truck!" Dean growled, shoving the gun back at the hunter's chest. The man's eyes flickered back into the bathroom, where Scout was crouched on the floor, gun aimed somewhere closer to the side of the door than their bodies. "NOW!" The hunter clenched his jaw and stomped back down the hall to where the others were waiting, and Dean turned back to the girl. Giving up on keeping a distance, he slowly walked to her side, certain that she wouldn't shoot him and squatted down so he was at her height.

"You shouldn't be here alone," He said, "it's not safe."

Well she wasn't about to disagree. For the past few months she'd boarded herself up in this shitty bathroom, scared out of her mind. The only thing she'd known was that the world was ending and people were going crazy out there. About a week ago, the U.S. army had rolled through to pick up supplies on their way to a bigger city, but Scout had been too frightened to approach them.

"Can I come with you?" She asked, a hint of desperateness in her voice. There was no way she was going to be left here alone again in the dark bathroom. Dean looked at her as though it were a stupid question- which it was. Like hell he was just going to leave this little girl here in the Walmart bathroom, that would make him a douche on all eighty thousand levels.

"Of course." Dean chuckled, "But first, you gotta learn how to shoot a gun." He gently took the weapon out of Scout's hands, pressing a small button near the grip. "You had the safety lock on, it wouldn't have done you much good."

Scout pressed her lips together and nodded. How could she have not known that? Dean held out his calloused hand a few inches away from the small girl, a small offering to help her up. She swallowed nervously, but took his hand and grunted as he pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, let's get the hell out of here." Dean said, looking around the dark bathroom again as though something would jump out of it's shadowed corners and attack.

The brown haired girl nodded and quickly snatched up a tattered brown rucksack and threw it over her shoulders. She was more then ready to leave the facility she had spent the past few months of her life in. Scout kept close to Dean's side as they abandoned the bathroom, tempted to take his hand again just to make sure it wasn't a hallucination, but she shoved the thought down her throat as she realized how childish the action was. But then again, why shouldn't she indulge herself in such pleasures? She had just survived part of the apocalypse and more, Scout was eager to lock away the horror and solemness of this nightmare and slip into a dream.

As soon as the two reached the hallway, shots rang out through the store, followed by angry and panicked cries. Dean's body tensed and he grabbed his shotgun from his side, bending down low and sprinting down the hallway, eyes darting back and forth in search of the enemy.

"Stay close to me." He ordered without looking back at the young girl who was having no trouble at all keeping up with him. Scout nodded and pressed herself about an inch away from Dean, her fingers tugging at the straps of her bag nervously. When the feral growls reached their ears, they knew that the Croats had found them all.

Dean jumped out from the hallway into the main part of the store, scanning for the Croats with the precision of a hunter. There were ten, maybe fifteen of them spread out around the store, and only four of his men were still running around in the aisles. To run, or to stand and fight, that was the question now. Dean's emerald eyes narrowed as he thought through his options. Staying to fight could result in the sound attracting more of the infected, but running and shooting from the back of their trucks would too. They were always screwed when their cover was blown. Dean silently cursed himself for allowing them to stay in the store for so long.

"Get back to the trucks!" He shouted, finally making his decision.

The hunter pulled the trigger and shot down an older, bald man, before grabbing Scout's wrist and pulling her towards the door. The young girl didn't stop to complain and followed Dean's lead, pressing herself against the older man to hide as much as herself as she could from the terrifying scene around her. She'd never allowed herself to get so close to the infected people before.

"Dom, Nick, get the hell out of here!" Dean ordered as they bolted past the check out lines. The two men nodded and exited the store quickly, each pulling a final bag of medicine behind them. The lead hunter turned to make sure the rest of his team were out of the building, before readjusting his grip on the young girl's arm to make sure he didn't loose her in the chaos.

Dean shoved Scout through the glass door first, turning to bash a Croat's face in with the end of his gun. The reassuring sound of a running engine filled their ears as the two ran for their lives. Only a couple of days ago, they had encountered a similar amount of Croats farther from the camp, and one of their cars had decided to shit out on them. Needless to say, after Dean slammed a crowbar down on the hood of the car to get it started, the mechanics back at base were dragged out and forced to work on the damn thing until it ran as smooth as Cas's face after he shaved.

"Go!" Dean shouted, pressing his hand against Scout's back to encourage her to run faster. Just as soon as Yaeger shifted the truck into drive, Dean practically threw the teenager into its bed where she landed on a pile of bottles of rubbing alcohol. The tires squealed into action only seconds before Dean jumped and latched onto the side. Scout swiftly turned and grabbed onto the older man's upper arms to keep him from falling back as the truck shot forward and out of the parking lot towards the highway.

"They're following us!" She shouted over the blast of wind that rolled around them. Dean's eyes narrowed again and he turned his head to spot four of the infected people sprinting after their truck. He hoisted himself up and threw a leg over the side to rest his foot in the bed, bringing his shot gun up again and taking aim at their pursuers. Behind them, from the passenger side of the truck, the sound of backup gunfire rang through the air. A few of the Croats fell in a crumpled heap on the street, but they were quickly replaced by more.

"Fuck!" Dean mumbled, reloading his gun from where he was straddling the truck, "Get us the hell outa here!" He shouted at the driver of the truck, who, in response, revved the engine and the truck shot forward. Scout scooted to the end of the bed, pressing her back against the window that led into the main part of the vehicle. From the other truck, two of the men were hanging out of the window and shooting at the Croats.

"We should be clear once we hit clear road!" Nick hollered from the passenger side window over the gun shots. Dean nodded and shot at another Croat, his jaw clenched.

"Here!" The hunter turned and tilted his head slightly as Scout held out a small, round object to him. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the green device so it wouldn't fly away whenever they swerved or hit bumps, and Dean tentatively reached forward and grabbed it.

"Where the fuck did you get a grenade?"

The girl smiled, "The soldiers left their supplies unattended for a few minutes."

Dean's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't question it anymore. Although, he did make a note to keep all of their weapons under surveillance once they got her back to the camp.

"Heads up!" Dean yelled, before pulling the pin and chucking the device towards their pursuers. As soon as the grenade left his hand, everyone in the back of the truck ducked and covered their heads. Not two seconds later, an ear splitting explosion whipped through the air and the ground shuttered as they drove on. Dean pulled his head back up and checked behind them to find no one chasing them anymore. A cocky smile plastered itself on his face and his jaw finally unclenched. That was the first time he'd ever handled a grenade. Fucking awesome.

"Nice thinking, kid." Dean chuckled, gently slapping Scout, who had some type of grimace shadowed on her face, on her back. The teenager nodded and sat back against the wall of the truck, legs sprawled out in front of her. "Anything else I should know about in that magic bag of yours?"

"Nothing I'd prefer you know about." Scout responded dryly, leaning her head back against the truck.

"We should be on the highway in three." The driver informed them from the open window in the back of the car. Dean nodded and relaxed ever so slightly, still keeping a death grip on his shot gun. They had more than lucked out back there, and it was only ever going to get worse.

"Give me a status on everyone." Dean shouted up to the front. From the inside of the truck, the two men radioed the others for information while Dean carefully reloaded his gun as he sat down in the bed near the pre-teen.

"Thank you." Her voice was swallowed up by the wind and Dean nearly missed the words she uttered. The hunter looked over at Scout for a moment, before turning back to his gun.

"Don't thank me," He said, "we ain't outa the woods yet." Scout dropped her head to look at the bag that rested on her lap.

"Everyone's on board, sir." The driver reported, fixing his ball cap so it wouldn't fly off from the bitter wind. It was only October and already the world around them was dying, but this time the human race was running right behind the grass and the trees. Winter was going to be a bitch of a fight.

"Lets head back to camp."

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_Hope you liked it!_

_Any questions, comments, or life threatening concerns don't hesitate to pm me!_

_~*~ Charli ~*~_


	2. Camp Chitaqua

_A/N Sorry for the super long hiatus you guys, but I'm a procrastinator. I like to procrastinate. It also took me a super long time to actually figure out how I was going to write this chapter and fit everyone in and develop a story line and imagine what Camp Chitaqua looks like... Writing is hard._

_Anyways, I'm going to make this short and sweet. Sometime in the near future I will actually be drawing a floor plan for what this Camp Chitaqua looks like based off of the episode "The End" and my limited drawing skills. From the episode, we only got to see about a half an hour of what the actual camp looks like, and I'll need to know everything, so don't expect an update anytime soon. However, I am starting a new Supernatural story very soon (for more information please go to my profile page). _

_Hope you enjoy this new chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Camp Chitaqua**

* * *

She was asleep before they even reached camp. Dean smirked as he watched the girl, curled up around her bag in the bed of the truck, fast asleep. Not even an hour into the ride, the kid had tipped over and closed her eyes. Lightweight. The hunter rolled his eyes and shook off his jacket, carefully placing over her. With one last look at the city around him, Dean turned around and gave the window that was between the inside of the truck and the open air a light tap. The glass slid to the side and the face of Aaron, a middle-aged hunter from Alabama, appeared.

"How we doing?" Dean asked, tilting his head down to look through the front window at the highway ahead of them.

"Crossing the border in ten." Aaron said, looking down at a map that was resting on his lap.

"Awesome." Dean made to sit back, but the southern hunter caught his shoulder.

"So, what's up with Little Bit there?" Aaron asked.

"She's a survivor, and we take in survivors." Dean responded sharply, still not quite sure what to think of the girl on the other end of the truck.

"Well, I know, but..." The hunter trailed off, wondering how he was going to finish his statement without getting socked in the face.

"How's she gonna help us, Dean?" Yaeger finally finished Aaron's sentence from where he was driving the truck.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean deadpanned, his jaw clenching angrily at the hunters' tones.

"It means that everyone at camp does something to keep everything running." Yaeger said, keeping his eyes on the road casually. "The men and some of the women go out on hunts and supply runs, Chuck keeps track of everything, you lead us- what's a little girl going to do other than take up space and supplies?" Dean was furious, but he knew that the older hunter was partially right.

"We can teach her what she needs to know." Dean said.

"Look at her, Dean!" Yaeger said, his voice gradually rising in volume. "She's not hunter material- she's too soft!"

"People change." Dean growled, losing his patience with the man.

"Haven't you wondered why we haven't come by any women under twenty?" Aaron said.

"Oh come on, man, that's sexist." Dean turned around and fiddled with the barrel of his shotgun.

"But you know it's true."

"Obviously it's not, and she's proof of it!" Dean said, pointing his gun towards where Scout laid.

"Just sayin' don't get too attached to her; she won't last long- not in this world."

With one last glare at the two men, Dean turned around and slammed the window shut, not wanting to hear anymore bullshit from them.

They arrived back at Camp around sunset, both trucks sputtering and moaning through the cold. Dean sighed, a puff of gray smoke falling from his lips, and stood up in the bed so the guards at the gate knew it was them. The truck groaned as it turned down the dirt road, and paused as the men opened the gate that led into Camp Chitaqua. The sudden stop jolted the young girl from her sleep, and she sat up, quickly reaching forward to catch the large jacket that had been over her shoulders before it fell onto the floor of the truck.

"Welcome to Camp Chitaqua, kid." Dean grunted from where he was standing as the truck rolled forward again.

Scout swallowed and turned around to rest her hand on the edge of the vehicle, spotting the worn-down sign as they entered the camp. As her eyes traveled past the wires and tangle of trees towards the many cabins and people wandering about, a sudden dread filled the pit of her stomach. Did she really make the right choice? Could she trust these people? What if they decided they didn't want her anymore and kicked her out? The young girl's breathing instantly became labored and the faintest hint of tears appeared in her eyes. Why did she ever leave her bathroom?

And then Dean appeared beside her, crouching down and catching her attention with a stiff smile. Scout swallowed her tears, but the hunter could still clearly see the doubts and fears that were written plainly across her face.

"Hey, you're gonna be fine." Dean said lightly, gently bumping her shoulder with his own.

A small, forced smile crossed over Scout's face and she turned back to look at her new home. The truck rolled past the houses into a busier part of the camp, stopping at what looked like some type of warehouse. The two vehicles pulled to a stop and Dean jumped out of the bed, telling Scout to stay put as he walked towards a smaller man with a scruffy beard.

"Hey, Chuck, how've things been while we were gone?"

"Surprisingly, not bad." Chuck said, looking down at a clipboard in his hands, "A couple of fights between some women- nothing Cas couldn't handle." Dean chuckled and slapped Chuck's shoulder, before turning around to head back to the truck.

"Well, tell Cas to get his ass down here if he wants his pills." Dean said as he opened the back of the truck and motioned for Scout to come on down.

"Who's this?" Chuck asked as the young girl jumped down from the truck to stand next to Dean.

"I'm Scout." She said quietly, trying her hardest not to hide behind the larger man as more people appeared to unload the trucks. Chuck let loose a thousand-watt smile and held his hand out to the girl, happy that there was finally someone in camp that was smaller than him.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Chuck." Scout finally smiled and shook the man's hand, "If you need anything- food, water, toiletries- don't hesitate to ask me, I probably won't have them." The young girl laughed lightly and Dean rolled his eyes, silently relieved that Chuck had managed to get Scout to relax a bit.

"Thanks, Chuck." He said, "Now, if you've got this covered, I'm gonna get this one outa here before the pack attacks." Dean pulled Scout in front of him and placed his hand on her upper back to guide her towards a row of cabins.

Before either one could object, Dean plowed forwards, heading towards his cabin. He wanted to get Scout out of sight before everyone could overwhelm her- news flew around fast and people would be curious as to who the new kid on the block was. His general plan was to lock her up in his house until things cooled down around camp and she was ready to introduce herself. Right now, they didn't have much room for new people, but Dean was going to make sure he roomed her with someone he trusted. The hunter ignored the curious looks from the others- and the somehow jealous looks from the women- hoping that he was encouraging Scout to do so as well, but he could already sense the panic that surrounded her.

"You can stay in my cabin for now." Dean said as they climbed the wooden stairs, "It's not much, but it's better than a bathroom." Scout smiled pulled her hands into the sleeves of her shirt out of habit, overwhelmed by the hunter's kindness

"Thanks." She tried not to say it as awkwardly as possible, but ultimately failed and averted her eyes from the top of Dean's shoulder to the small cabin they were approaching.

"No problem, kid." He said, "Listen, since you're new here, it'd probably be best if you just laid low for a while. Some of the people here in camp don't take change very well."

"I'd hate to see what they were like at the start of the apocalypse." Scout muttered. Dean smirked, but couldn't help the slight wince at her last word.

It had definitely taken him some time to adjust to the term, something he knew full well that he'd caused and couldn't stop. In the past, when something bad happened, he would merely find a job and throw himself into it until the pain stopped. But he couldn't do that now; he only had one final job now, to find the Colt and finish it. Dean wasn't going to lie to himself; he wished that this had never happened. He wished he had been strong enough to just…if he could have just…

"We're here." Dean grunted and started up the steep steps that lead to his one room cabin. Already, out of the corner of his eye he could see a curious crowd gathering near the trucks, obviously not there to help unload the supplies. He quickly unlocked the door and shoved the rusted wood inwards to let them inside.

"You can take the bed until I find a more permanent arrangement." Dean said, shoving the door closed as soon as Scout entered the cabin. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" He began rattling off things he assumed a teenager might need, "The bathroom doesn't have any running water, so we just use chamber pots." Dean knew that he would eventually have to go back outside and explain things to the others, but for now, he was just putting it off for as long as he possibly could.

"Uhm… I think I'm good." Scout said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

"Oh… Alright then." Dean ran his thumb over his bottom lip awkwardly. This had seemed like such a good idea about an hour ago. "You sure?" Scout smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Her voice was slightly amused as she tentatively sat on the mattress, her eyes widening in surprise as is squeaked rather loud.

"Awesome." Dean nodded and turned back towards the door, "I'm going to go back out and sort out some things. Just… don't leave the cabin… please." Scout nodded in understanding and Dean opened the door, but paused. "Oh, and don't let anyone in you don't know… So only me or Chuck. No one else should be in here anyways."

With one last nod, Dean left his cabin and started back down the stairs. He hadn't dealt with kids for years. The hunter sighed and made his way back towards the truck, where nearly the entire camp had gathered by now, loudly talking amongst themselves. Without looking anyone in the eye, Dean pushed through the crowd and jumped into the bed of the truck, where he could see and address everyone. The crowd went quiet as Dean stared down at them all.

"As you no doubt have heard by now," Dean started, "we have a new addition to our camp." He inhaled deeply; already seeing the judging looks on some of the more prominent members in Camp Chitaqua. From the middle of the crowd, Dean spotted his fallen angel, staring up at him with calm blue eyes, almost as though he was urging him to continue on.

"On our last trip out, we found her in a department store bathroom, keeping hidden from the Croats and demons. She helped us get away from a pack that started to chase us, and I offered her a safe place to stay here. I expect you all to treat her like any other hunter here, or else you'll have me to deal with." He figured a short summary was better than none at all.

"So you're sure she's not infected?" One woman asked. Dean nodded.

"Positive."

"Did you check to make sure she's not a demon?" Another asked.

"Well obviously she's not; they got her past the salt line and devil's traps surrounding the camp, dumbass." A different hunter answered.

"She's a teenager." Well, it wasn't exactly a question.

"Yes." Dean responded, "She's about thirteen or fourteen." An uncertain murmur rippled through the crowd, but no one else spoke up. If they had something to say, they wouldn't challenge him in front of the entire camp.

"Just remember what it was like for all of you when you first joined the Camp." Chuck finally spoke, climbing up into the bed of the truck to stand next to Dean. "I know what you're thinking, but don't judge the kid just because she's young, the apocalypse has changed all of us." Some of the tension within the crowd disappeared, but Dean's eyes flashed in annoyance.

"Thank you… Chuck." He bit out, "Now everyone go back to doing something productive."

Dean jumped off of the truck and scanned the pack for Cas and someone else he wanted to talk to. It didn't take long before he found the angel, and Dean walked towards him.

"So you brought back a puppy?" Cas teased lightly as the hunter approached. Dean smirked.

"Have you seen Josie?" He asked, wanting to talk to the female hunter. Cas pressed his lips together and looked up at the sky.

"I do believe that she came to me earlier today looking for someone to-

"Never mind." Dean interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore of Cas's sexual adventure tales. The angel chuckled and turned his head to the right.

"I think she was helping unload the trucks, try the warehouse." Cas said, gently slapping the hunter's shoulder before walking off. Dean smiled and shook his head as he turned towards the small shack that held most of their supplies. Sure enough, the small red-head was helping Aaron sort the supplies into crates.

Josie, before the apocalypse she had been a nurse somewhere down in Kentucky. She was also probably the most chipper person you'd ever meet in this period of time. She had stumbled into Camp Chitaqua somewhere around a month ago and everyone instantly adored her. Josie happened to be one of those seemingly innocent people who loved everyone, not giving them any chance at all to even think of disliking her. Now that he thought about it, she was probably more naive than Scout.

"Josie!" The woman looked up as Dean shouted her name, quickly standing up and walking to meet her leader halfway.

"What's up, Dean?" Josie asked with a bright smile.

"I take it you've heard about our newest addition?"

"Yeah, I saw her." Josie said, "She's adorable." Dean snorted in amusement, knowing that he'd come to the right person.

"Great, well, she needs a place to stay." He said, not bothering to beat around the bush, "And I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out? It's just that you're the only person I trust to room her with." They both knew it really wasn't a favorable question, you really just didn't ask those in this camp.

"Yes, of course." Josie said, enthusiastically nodding her head, "I'd be happy to let her live with me."

"Thanks, Josie." Dean said, "I think I'm going to have her stay in my cabin until tomorrow to let things cool down first. You can come in any time to meet her."

"Sounds good." The red-head hooked her thumbs in her jean pockets and took a step back, "I might do that after I'm done here."

"Thanks again, I owe you one." Dean said, before turning to walk back towards his cabin.

* * *

_If you squint your eyes a little, you can see just a sprinkle of Destiel (that is if you ship it ;) I figured that a little awkward Dean would be best for figuring out what to do with Scout, so sorry if you don't like it- deal with it. The characters you've met here in this chapter are going to play larger roles in the future. As for characters that you may soon realize are not here yet, they will most certainly be joining the party in due time._

_Any questions, comments, or life-threatening concerns don't hesitate to pm me!_

_~*~ Charli ~*~_


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